My Hero!
by doesitweighmorethanaduck
Summary: Five times Odo came to Quark's rescue plus one time Quark wanted the roles to be reversed.
1. Chapter 1

**The first time**

It was a dingy station, with dim lights and a highly industrial feel. It was a far cry from the white walls of Dr. Mora's lab, but after seeing the way that the Bajoran labour workers were treated, Odo wasn't certain which was worse. Despite his intense dislike for most of the Cardassians, particularly Gul Dukat, he did his job without complaint, ignoring the twinges of guilt he felt whenever he apprehended a rebelling Bajoran.

The one occupant of Terok Nor whose company Odo found more tolerable than expected was the Ferengi bartender. It wasn't that he liked Quark- far from it. But even the conniving, misogynistic Ferengi made good company compared to the Cardassian oppressors. Besides, Quark was a known criminal, and it only made sense for the chief of security to spend as much time around him as possible.

That was why Odo found himself at Quark's bar time and time again, checking in on the bartender just to make sure he wasn't up to anything- like tonight, for instance. Gul Dukat was having a few too many bottles of Kanar, and it was obvious that Quark was becoming increasingly agitated. Odo could tell this because he had been watching Quark very carefully all night. However, he'd chosen to keep his distance this time. Sometimes he made conversation with the little bartender, but it was only in an attempt to do his job as thoroughly as possible. Quark may have been preferable to, one of the Cardassians, but Odo hardly would have missed him if anything were to happen to him.

So why, then, did he feel so on edge as he watched Dukat lean across the counter and grab Quark by the collar? Why did Odo have to fight the urge to lunge from his seat and tackle the drunken Gul to the ground? He didn't know why, but he wanted Dukat as far away from Quark as possible.

"Did I not make myself clear, Ferengi?" Gul Dukat snarled, his eyes flashing as he gripped the garishly patterned fabric of Quark's jacket. Quark gulped, sweat trickling down his face; Odo bit back the urge to grab him away from the Gul's threatening clutch. "I want more Kanar, _now_!"

Quark looked absolutely terrified, and he wasn't hiding it remotely well. Even so, he hissed, baring his jagged little teeth. "And _I_ said you have to pay first," he shot back. He tried to jerk away from Dukat, who growled and wrapped his hands around the bartender's neck. "O-or not," Quark whimpered, pressing his wrists together submissively.

Odo expected Dukat to let go then, but the Cardassian Gul defied his expectations, instead choosing to tighten his grip. He lifted a flailing Quark off the floor and, with a drunken growl, rose from his barstool and flung him over the counter, pinning him helplessly on the polished surface. Bottles went flying, crashing onto the floor and spilling Kanar all over the floor. Quark let out a high-pitched whine, scrabbling at the hands squeezing his throat. Shock pulsed through Odo as he saw tiny red droplets beginning to form where Dukat's nails dug into Quark's neck.

This had gone too far. "Enough!" Odo shouted, standing up and marching over to Dukat, who glanced up at him with a scowl.

Not one to be intimidated easily, Odo grabbed the powerful Cardassian's shoulder and yanked him off of Quark, who was staring up at Odo with wide, disbelieving eyes. Dukat grabbed a smashed bottle of Kanar by the stem and swung it at Odo. The bottle passed through his gelatinous body harmlessly, and he morphed a couple extra appendages to wrap around Dukat, immobilizing him. The Gul struggled, spitting curses, but Odo's grip on him wasn't going to be loosened that easily.

"You're coming with me to the brig," Odo muttered disdainfully before shooting a quick glance back at Quark to make sure he was alive. He felt oddly relieved to find that he was, although he was sure that relief would wear off as soon as the bartender opened his mouth again.

"I could fire you right now," Dukat growled as he fought against Odo's unwavering grip. "Maybe I _will_ fire you for assaulting me!"

"And who will you replace me with?" Odo challenged. "Lest you forget I'm the only Changeling around. Face it, Dukat- you can't afford to fire me; I'm too useful to you."

Dukat glowered, but he knew Odo was right. It was the only reason Odo could afford to come to Quark's aid in the first place- he was too invaluable to Gul Dukat to be let go. He certainly wouldn't risk his career for that Ferengi's sake, no matter how much danger he got himself into.

Slowly and shakily, Quark hopped off the counter, eyeliner-stained tears rolling down his face. He quickly rubbed them off before addressing Odo. "Th-thank you for saving me," he whimpered, dropping to his knees and bowing his head. He raised his wrists in a gesture of… gratefulness, Odo supposed. He wasn't too familiar with Ferengi culture, but it was obvious that Quark was practically groveling to him. It seemed an unnecessary level of gratitude- he'd just been doing his job.

"I would have done it for anyone," Odo harrumphed, crossing his arms in front of his chest while his extra appendages kept their tight hold on the still-struggling Dukat. "He was causing a disruption. I would have apprehended him even if you hadn't been in danger."

Quark blinked, as though taking in his surroundings- he was crouching in a puddle of spilled Kanar at the feet of a Changeling, unruly black streaks running down his face and pinpricks of blood dotting his neck. On top of that, the man who had just been threatening him was dangling just a few feet away. He hurriedly scampered to his feet, grimacing at his sopping pants. _That's what you get for kneeling in Kanar_ , Odo thought. _Pathetic little man._

With nothing more to be said, he turned and left the bar, leaving Quark to stare as he walked out. He escorted Dukat to the brig for the night, which he knew the Gul would be none too happy about, but he somehow felt like it was worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

**The second time**

Quark was polishing his counter, trying to scrub off a particularly nasty stain, when Odo strolled in. The constable had his usual all-business look about him, and Quark suppressed a sigh as he leaned across the counter, preparing for Odo to bark his name out like he always did.

"Quaaarrk!"

There it was. Quark put on his most innocent face, batting his eyelashes coyly as Odo stormed over to him. "Good morning to you, too," he said with sarcastic sweetness. "Don't suppose you want anything to drink?"

Odo snorted contemptuously. "You hit the nail on the head, Quark." He held out a PADD displaying information on some hew-mon criminal- no doubt suspecting Quark was affiliated with him. From the look of the guy, he couldn't have been too big a threat- he looked like just a kid. Well, unfortunately for the constable, Quark had never seen him before, which he informed Odo with a sneer of satisfaction.

Although Odo didn't seem entirely convinced of Quark's lack of involvement, he didn't press any further- very unusual for him. For some reason, Quark almost felt disappointed to see him leave so soon. It wasn't that he enjoyed constantly being investigated or anything- he'd just come to expect longer visits.

 _Oh, well,_ he thought as he went back to polishing the counter. _It's not like I care._

A few minutes later, a group of rowdy adolescent males of various races walked in- well, more like staggered; they were all obviously drunk already. Quark grimaced internally but gave them a welcoming smile nonetheless; all business was good business.

One of the young men- at least Quark assumed he was a young man; he had a hood pulled low over his eyes- stumbled right up to Quark, bumping into Morn as he fumbled his way onto a barstool. Morn fell silent and gave Quark a look that read, _are you seriously going to serve this guy?_

"Hey, bartender," the young man said, slurring his words together. "Can I get a Black Hole?"

"That's pretty strong stuff," Quark said, trying to ignore his gathering sense of dread. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

The man slammed his fists down on the counter, causing Quark to jump a little. "I thought you Ferengi would do anything for money," he snapped, a bit louder than Quark would have liked.

Quark looked around at the other customers, hoping this wouldn't become a disruption. "Very well," he muttered, not wanting to start a confrontation. "One Black Hole, coming right up."

He got out the ingredients for the drink and started mixing them together, keeping a close eye on the man as he stirred. Was this the man Odo had been looking for? What could he have done to have the constable so desperate to find him?

Once the Black Hole was prepared, Quark held his hand out for payment. The man reached out to grab his drink, but Quark held it back. "Not until you pay up for it," he told him. "I can't just give these drinks away for free, you know."

"What, Ferengi?" the young man scoffed. "You don't think I have the money?!" He reached out again, and Quark would have just let him take the Black Hole this time and pay later, but instead he dug his nails into the top of Quark's head.

Quark winced, but he let the man take the Black Hole, hoping he'd calm down. The drink was gone in a matter of seconds. As the young man wiped drops of thick black liquid from his lips, his hood fell away to reveal that he really was the man Odo's PADD had been displaying. Quark gulped, backing up against the shelf of bottles. He reached his arm up behind him and fumbled for a bottle in case he needed a weapon, keeping his eyes glued to the drunk hew-mon.

The man must have been able to tell how nervous Quark was, because he leaned across the counter. "What's wrong, Ferengi?" he jeered. "Is your boyfriend not here to protect you this time?"

 _Boyfriend?_ Quark thought incredulously. _I don't have a "boyfriend"…_ Wait, did he mean Odo?! Quark would have laughed at the mere prospect, but for some reason he found himself getting flustered instead. Maybe it was because he was under pressure.

"Get out of my bar," he ordered, puffing out his frail chest and trying to sound tough. "You're causing a disruption." It was true- as soon as that pack of hew-mons had come in, his customers had been looking very uneasy. Uneasy customers were never good for business.

The young man barked out a coarse laugh. "Make me."

"Fine," Quark sniffed haughtily. "I will." He raised his voice. "Security!"

A couple of Bajoran deputies who'd been stationed outside the bar stepped inside, weapons drawn. Quark pointed out the gaggle of drunk teenagers, most of whom were busy leering at the Dabo girls. Quark had leered at them himself plenty of times, of course, but seeing these unruly fellows do it made his skin crawl. He wanted them out of his bar, and fast.

"You're under arrest," one of the deputies said to the hew-mon who'd been bothering Quark while her accomplice rounded up the rest of the punks. "Come with me to the brig."

Quark backed his way into the space below the shelf, back against the wall. He felt the most invisible there. Even now that the problem was being taken care of, he still felt terrified beyond any reasonable measure. Why would Odo be so concerned about finding this hew-mon teenager in particular if he was just an aggressive drunk? Quark had dealt with those plenty of times, including Gul Dukat himself a few times back when DS9 was Terok Nor. There must have been something about this guy that made him a threat.

Sure enough, the hew-mon reached inside the pocket of his hoodie and drew out a dagger. The Bajoran deputy gasped, firing at him, but he ducked and charged her. Quark flinched, unable to look as he heard her scream in pain. Her accomplice shouted- along with all the other people in the bar, all of whom scrambled out of Quark's in a hurry as phaser fire rang out, followed by more screams and crashes.

Quark couldn't look at any of it. He hid behind the counter, ducking as a broken bottle shattered on the wall above him a shards of teal glass rained down on him. He felt awful for hiding, but he didn't want to get killed!

Just then, the chaotic cacophony came to a stop. Quark froze, his heart pounding against his ribcage. Was it over? He didn't dare come out of hiding to check. Then—

"Quark!" That was Odo's voice, Quark realized with a sigh of relief. But something was strange. He sounded more concerned than Quark had ever heard him- distressed, even. "Quark, where are you?!"

For a moment Quark considered not answering and making Odo worry- payback for all the stress the constable had caused him over all the years they'd known each other. But as soon as the constable called his name a third time, Quark knew he couldn't be that cruel. As hard to believe as it was, Odo sounded genuinely worried about him, and Quark knew what it was like to fear for someone who cared about. For the longest time he'd had no idea of Natima Lang's whereabouts, or if she was even alive- her job was a dangerous one, after all. Not that Quark was to Odo what Natima had been to him; it was just a comparison.

"It's fine, Odo," Quark said, shakily standing up and revealing himself. "Don't have a coronary. Oh wait, you can't- your body's made of goo."

He gave Odo a crooked, teasing grin, and the look of sheer relief that washed over the constable's face at his snide remark was somewhat unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome. It was good to know Odo wasn't expecting Quark to get all mushy just because he knew he'd been worried about him.

A quick glance around the bar revealed that Odo had made quick work of the disruptive adolescents. A low-level security officer was rounding most of them up to be escorted to the brig, while the hew-mon with the dagger was slumped over, unconscious. The male Bajoran deputy was informing sickbay of the other deputy's injuries- Quark was gladder than he'd expected to see she didn't look too badly hurt.

"Even if I were solid, I doubt I'd be having many coronaries over your well-being," Odo muttered, jerking Quark's attention back to him alone as he stomped over to Quark and looked him over. Odo hesitated for just a moment before grabbing his wrist and tugging him out from behind the counter. "Hiding behind the counter during an emergency, were you?" he remarked. "Just the level of bravery I've come to expect from you."

"Hey, I didn't have to do anything to help," Quark pointed out, bumping up against Odo a bit more playfully than he had intended. Odo gave him an odd look, and he quickly wriggled his wrist out of the constable's grip to save face- didn't want that Changeling to think Quark actually _liked_ making contact with him or anything. "I knew you'd come save the day," he added. "Like you always do."

Odo harrumphed loudly, crossing his arms. "It's my job," he said. Then he glanced Quark over one final time before leaving.

Quark did his best to console his staff, hoping they wouldn't think he was getting soft, and took his place behind the counter again. The only person who hadn't left the bar during the fight (if you could call it that) was Morn. He went right back to telling Quark the same story he'd been telling before, as though nothing had happened at all. Quark didn't hear a word Morn said. He couldn't get Odo out of his head.

 _"_ _It's my job."_ His job to keep Quark safe? He knew that wasn't what he'd meant, but…

He smiled softly to himself. It didn't sound like a half-bad arrangement.


	3. Chapter 3

**The third time**

Odo had kept track of all Quark's transmissions over the last month, and thus was aware of the Ferengi's plans to conduct transactions (no doubt illegal ones) with an Orion trader in Cargo Bay 1 that night. He was also aware of Quark's ongoing communications with some fellow- probably a Ferengi he knew from back home- named Tyvol- someone who he'd been intimate with in the past. Odo wished he hadn't known about that. Not only had the two discussed many details that Odo could have lived without, he just didn't like knowing about the people Quark had been with in the past. It didn't make sense, but it reminded him of the way he felt when he found out Kira was in love with Shakaar. Why did it remind him of that? Odo couldn't understand, but he didn't like it.

But none of that was relevant. Odo couldn't let his feelings distract him from his job, especially when those feelings didn't even make sense. The relevant part was the arrangements with the Orion trader.

Odo was in Cargo Bay 1 in the form of an inconspicuous barrel full of self-sealing stem bolts before Quark even got there. Oddly enough, he didn't seem to have anything with him. How was he going to pay the Orion in exchange for whatever goods the trader was offering?

The Orion transported into the cargo bay a few minutes later. Odo had been half-expecting for him to have brought a female Orion with him- that seemed like the kind of service Quark would be after from one of them- but he supposed the Ferengi bartender could just use one of his holosuites if he ever got too lonely. _Or that man he was having subspace communications with last week_ , Odo thought bitterly. Why was he bitter about that? It wasn't as if Odo would ever have wanted to…

The illegal transactions! That was what Odo was here to observe. Getting jealous wasn't in his job description. Then again, neither was fixating on Quark to the extent he did, but that was different. Who'd get jealous over _his_ affections, anyway? Absolutely ridiculous.

Besides, as Odo had been thinking before he'd gotten sidetracked, the Orion had come alone. He was dressed in an open vest, a pair of black leather shorts that looked uncomfortably tight, and boots that went up almost to his knees. There was a bit too much of his green skin showing for Odo's taste. The Orion also had a multitude of weapons on display on his clothes- Quark wouldn't want anything with weapons, would he? Of course, it was very possible that he planned on pawning them off to someone else for a higher price. However, it was more likely that the Orion was going to offer Quark whatever was in the small case he was carrying. It didn't seem big enough to hold very much, but expensive things could come in small packages.

Quark had been fidgeting with his jacket- he was wearing the one with all the differently-coloured squares tonight- when the Orion had arrived. He immediately broke into a wide grin, and Odo was oddly drawn to his row of jagged little fangs. He'd never really noticed those fangs before, mainly because Quark never really smiled at Odo- at least, not a genuine smile. The realization that they looked kind of cute made him strangely sad. Why was he noticing these things now of all times?!

"Ah, here you are," Quark greeted the Orion. "Wonderful for you to have showed up."

"Did you think I wasn't coming?" the Orion muttered, rolling his shoulder casually as he spoke. Odo must have been seeing this wrong, but Quark looked almost transfixed by his rippling muscles. "We have an arrangement, and I intend to see it through."

Quark nodded eagerly. "So, should you pay me first, or…?"

"What did we agree?" the Orion asked sharply.

"R-right. Payment comes after the fact." Quark took off his jacket- why would he take off his jacket? He threw it to the side, and it landed on Odo- that was the downside of masquerading as a barrel; people just saw you as part of the environment.

Having his arch-nemesis casually throw something on top of him should have been offensive, but it felt oddly pleasant to Odo. The fabric… felt like Quark. He couldn't smell in this form, and he'd never believed in the "sixth sense" that humanoids sometimes spoke of- plenty of species had more than five senses, of course, but the abstract notion of "feeling" a certain way wasn't scientific. Changelings weren't a telepathic race aside from linking with each other, so there was no reason this jacket should "feel" like the person who wore it. Maybe it was just the fact that Odo had felt the texture of that particular jacket so many times when he'd reached out to grab Quark, to pull him away from danger…

A faint whimper from Quark broke Odo's thoughts away from the jacket lying on top of him. Odo had gotten so caught up in thoughts about Quark and his jacket that he'd almost forgotten about the situation at hand- for the second time that night! He'd have to go to Doctor Bashir after this was over and ask for an examination. Something was clearly wrong with him.

The Orion trader had grabbed Quark's ears and was rubbing them in a rather rough manner. Was that why Quark had whimpered? Had it been out of pain or pleasure?

"Okay, I've done your disgusting ear thing," the Orion said, closing the space between him and Quark. "Now it's time for you to do what I came here for you to do."

Quark looked uncomfortable, but he undid the top few buttons on his lacy shirt. "I was getting to that," he said slowly. "I just needed a little something to get me excited first. You understand, don't you, Tyvol?"

 _Excited?_ Odo thought. Suddenly a lot of things that hadn't made sense to him at first began to drift into place. _This isn't an exchange of goods at all- it's an exchange of services. Quark is going to… pleasure this man… for money!_ The realization made him feel exceedingly uncomfortable. Not only that, Quark had called the man Tyvol- this was the same person he'd been talking to for the past month! If Odo had been solid, he probably would have felt sick. Instead, he simply roiled internally, finding it hard to stay perfectly still in the shape of a barrel.

The Orion- Tyvol- shrugged off his vest; all the weapons he had strapped to it clattered to the floor. Quark jumped sideways to avoid his foot being cut by a long sword. Tyvol laughed, pulling Quark forward by the ear and pressing an aggressive kiss to his slightly open mouth.

Something inside Odo snapped and he couldn't sit idly by any longer. Remaining in his barrel disguise, he formed a barbed tentacle and shot it out in a flash, jabbing Tyvol in the shoulder. The Orion let out a roar of pain, and Quark's eyes went wide. He mouthed Odo's name- smart Ferengi. Or maybe he'd just come to expect it by now.

"What was that?!" Tyvol demanded, digging his fingernails into Quark's ear. Quark grimaced, his eyes flashing to Odo- or rather, the row of barrels he was hiding among; there was no way Quark could tell which one was him. "Answer me, Quark!" Tyvol shouted. He shoved Quark up against a wall, eliciting another whimper, which Odo hoped wasn't for the same reason as the last one- and yet somehow it seemed like it was. Impossible. Tyvol was hurting him! "Was this a scam? Did you have this planned from the beginning?!"

"I..." Quark whined. Tyvol had him trapped against the wall, unable to flee. Did he even want to flee? "It wasn't a scam, Tyvol honest! I really wanted to go through with this! I don't know what that stupid Changeling was—"

He broke off. Tyvol's brow furrowed. "Changeling? What Changeling, Quark?" Quark didn't answer, so he lifted him off the ground for a second- still holding him by the ear- and slammed him against the wall again. " _I said what Changeling_!"

This had gone too far. Odo stopped being a barrel, reverting to his natural state and shooting himself straight into Tyvol, who crumpled and slumped onto Quark. Odo pulled the unconscious Orion off of Quark, who slid down the wall to collapse onto his knees, panting.

Odo reverted to his standard humanoid form and knelt beside him, concerned. "Are you okay, Quark?" he asked, reaching out to redo the buttons on his now-rumpled shirt.

To his surprise, Quark lashed out at him, slapping away his hand. "Get away from me!" he snapped as he did up the buttons himself, his orange complexion burning a bright red. He motioned to Tyvol- no doubt the Orion trader would be quite angry when he woke up. "What do you think you were doing, Odo?! Wasn't it obvious that we were _planning_ on—"

On the floor, Tyvol groaned, clenching his fists. Quark broke off and stared down at him, looking decidedly less disgusted than Odo would have liked.

"Want me to take him to the brig?" Odo offered.

Quark drew in a sharp breath. He seemed to consider it for a long time. Odo was certain he was going to agree- put Tyvol behind him; he clearly wasn't good for him. Instead, Quark stooped down and drew his hand across Tyvol's cheek, lingering at the ear for a few moments too long for Odo's comfort.

"Nah," Quark muttered finally. "He's not my first choice, but he's aggressive- the way I like it. Besides, I'm still looking for the five strips of latinum he promised me in exchange for my services."

"Five strips? You?!" Odo snorted. "I wouldn't rate you that high, Quark."

"How would you know?" Quark challenged. "It's not like you've ever slept with me."

That much was true. But Odo, despite every rational part of him telling him otherwise, wanted to. And that was exactly the problem.


	4. Chapter 4

**The fourth time**

Quark was freezing.

Not in the way he'd say he was freezing from time to time, like when the environmental controls were out of whack and the bar would be a few degrees lower than normal, or when he was a boy and he'd go outside without a jacket when it was cold out. This time, he was literally in danger of freezing to death.

The icy winds bit at his exposed hands and face, and he'd stopped being able to feel his feet hours ago. He was up to his ankles in snow, which was drifting down around him and kept piling up in his browridge. He'd had to stop several times already to get the snow off his head, which Odo wasn't too happy about. "Well, if you'd let me have the environmental suit, I could put the hood up and snow wouldn't get piled up in my browridge," Quark had pointed out. Odo had simply snorted and looked away. Typical. If Quark died on that Exchequer-forsaken mountain because Odo was too selfish to let him wear the environmental suit, he wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

"I hate you," Quark whispered through his clenched teeth as they trudged up a steep, uneven slope. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you." The mantra drove him forward, let him keep going even when he was positive he was going to die with every step.

He didn't know who the statement was directed at. Odo, he supposed- it was that stupid ex-Changeling's fault they were there in the first place. But it was the Founders' fault for taking away Odo's ability to transform in the first place, and if he could still change shape at will, all this would be a whole lot easier. He could turn into a bird and fly to the top, or even if he couldn't do that for some reason, maybe he could have turned into some warmer clothes for Quark. But as it was, they were both stuck climbing the mountain, and stuck with each other while they were doing it.

The winds were loud enough that Odo must not have been able to hear Quark's little mantra- decidedly a good thing. But with his Ferengi hearing, it was no challenge for Quark to pick up on whatever half-witted things Odo would mutter to himself from time to time. Most of it was spiteful comments directed at him, which Quark, as offended as he was, had to admit weren't entirely unfounded. He didn't doubt Odo would much rather be climbing the mountain with anyone else but him.

Eventually the incline increased so much that Quark couldn't speak, even under his breath, without getting even more out of breath than he already was. He squeezed his eyes shut against the icy wind and kept repeating his mantra in his mind; the words echoed through his head with the force of a photon torpedo. _I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate—_

Quark bumped into a wall. He opened his eyes, squinting and shielding them from the wind and snow, and saw that they'd come to a part where the mountain went straight up. Walking was impossible; they'd have to either climb or find a different path.

Next to him, Odo chuckled dryly. "I'll assume rock climbing isn't your strong suit," he said.

"Of course it isn't," Quark hissed, rubbing his hands up and down his arms as he stared up the snow-covered rock wall. It was so cold… "We can't get up this, Odo," he said matter-of-factly. "It's too high. If we slip, we're dead."

"If we don't get to the top, we're dead as well," Odo reminded him. He put his hands on the rock and lifted his boot onto a little platform near the bottom. From there, he hoisted himself up to a tiny crack in the rock, into which he jammed his hands after stripping off his gloves and stuffing them in his pockets. Quark didn't see why he couldn't have just passed the gloves down to him instead, but it hardly mattered, did it? Odo must have lost his mind! How were either of them expected to scale a cliff like that in their condition?!

"You're going to fall," he called from the bottom as Odo fumbled around for a foothold, dangling from the crack he'd jammed his hands into. "Just come down now and we'll find a way around this. There's no need for you to risk your neck like this."

"Why, Quark, I'm amazed," Odo muttered from his position a few feet up the rock. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried about me."

"I'm not worried!" Quark snapped. A faint warmth suddenly spread to his half-frozen face. "I just don't want to be held responsible for your death!"

Odo harrumphed loudly. The haughty sound combined with a grunt of effort as he hoisted his right foot onto a tiny outcrop. He then reached up with his left hand to grab a scraggy branch that was sticking out of the snowy cliff. Quark knew that was a bad idea before the constable's hand even wrapped around the shriveled plant, and he yelled for Odo to put his hand somewhere else instead, but either he didn't hear him or he was just ignoring Quark's advice. Also typical.

The branch tore out of the rock, and Odo lost balance for a few terrifying seconds. Quark cursed under his breath as the stubborn ex-Changeling grabbed onto a handhold just before he would have fallen. Odo continued on like it was nothing, but Quark was too shaken to let him just keep climbing up like that. He couldn't believe he was going to be putting his life on the line for Odo's sake, but he grabbed onto a handhold and hoisted himself up to a ledge nonetheless.

Above him, Odo stopped climbing for a second, hanging in place with his heels dangling precariously off a small ledge, to look down at Quark. "I see you finally decided to start climbing," he grumbled. "Good choice. If you thought I was going to climb back down to fetch you when I reached the top, you were highly mistaken."

"Shut up," Quark barked as he scrambled to stay secure. He curled his numb fingers into the same crack Odo had used and lifted himself up onto the next foothold. "I'm only climbing because you were going to leave me behind if I didn't."

"And you'd just hate for me to leave you behind, wouldn't you, Quark?" Odo muttered.

The heat crept into Quark's cheeks once again, this time staying there for much longer. He didn't want to admit it- he knew Odo would hold it over him for the rest of their lives- but he _would_ hate to be left behind. This situation was terrible enough on its own; being alone was unfathomable.

Up the rock face they went, occasionally stopping to hurl a few meaningless insults at each other. Quark tried to go back to repeating his mantra to himself again, but he couldn't seem to concentrate on the words this time. _I hate you… hate you… I hate this… please don't leave, Odo… I hate… hate…_ He shook his head; he should just concentrate on finding handholds and footholds anyway.

He didn't know exactly when it happened, but at some point Odo must have fallen behind, because Quark passed him shortly before they reached the top. _Handhold, foothold, handhold, don't let go, this crack will do, foothold, handhold, hoist yourself up, foothold…_ And then—

The top. Quark couldn't believe he'd made it. He panted as he grabbed at the plateau just above him. He scrabbled his boots against the rock face to push himself up to it, sending a shower of shale down on Odo, who loudly complained. Quark didn't care. He did it! He'd made it!

And then his hands slid backward in the snow and suddenly he wasn't holding onto anything anymore. His scrabbling feet skidded down the rock face, unable to stop him as he fell. He knew he must have been shrieking at the top of his lungs, but he couldn't even hear himself over the wound of the wind whipping around him.

 _I'm going to die_ , Quark thought. _I'm going to die. I'm going to—_

He stopped falling.

It took him a moment to realize that he hadn't just stopped falling on his own accord, as impossible as that would have been. In fact, it wasn't until the hand tightened its grip around his wrist that it sunk in that Odo had caught him.

"O-Odo… you- cuh- guh- I—" Quark sputtered, blinking rapidly and trying to make sense of what had just happened. "You saved me," he finally managed.

Odo grunted and rolled his eyes. "Good observation."

Something Odo had said to him before came back to Quark, and he slowly broke into a grin. "'Count on it', right?" he laughed, suddenly feeling giddy. Odo must have thought he was insane. "It's not just about you coming back… it's about you saving me, too, right?"

"I think you're reading too much into things," Odo muttered. He pulled himself up over the ledge and yanked Quark up as well. "It was just an involuntary reaction."

"Mm-hmm." Quark nodded, suddenly drowsy. He fought against sleep- he knew he might not wake up if he fell asleep in this blizzard- but maybe he didn't have to worry. Odo was with him, right? That was all that mattered…


	5. Chapter 5

**The fifth time**

It was the end of the day, and it was time for Odo to revert to his natural state and regenerate. He hadn't discovered any evidence of criminal activity all day, and although Quark had seemed somewhat worried that day when Odo had dropped by to talk to him, he hadn't been able to find anything pointing to the bartender having done anything illegal either. He had no reason to suspect that anything bad could happen just then.

Before the doors of Odo's quarters even slid shut, he was proved wrong. He heard the patter of feet running up the hall toward him, and sighed before turning around to see Rom.

"Odoooo! You have to help," Rom cried, eyes wide in panic. "Quark is in danger!"

"What kind of danger?" Odo asked, instantly alert. What could that scoundrel have gotten himself into this time?

"A bunch of men came in just as the bar was closing and took him into the back room," Rom explained. He turned his face, and Odo noticed he had a bruise on his cheek. "I-I told them to leave my brother alone, but they…"

Just then, the comm system crackled to life, a terrified screech filling Odo's quarters. That was Quark's voice! "Odo, are you there?!" Quark cried, the static of the comm system corrupting his already garbled voice. "Please, please, come save m—"

The voice cut off. Had whoever was trying to hurt Quark destroyed the comm, or had they…?! Odo couldn't even bring himself to think about it. He had to get over there now! He bolted down the habitat ring toward the promenade, taking on the form of a Tarkalean hawk to get there faster. Rom tried to run after him, but the distraught Ferengi couldn't keep up- which was good, because Odo didn't have time to wait for him.

The bar was deserted, of course- closing time had been two minutes and forty-five seconds ago. Odo slipped under the locked door to the back room and resumed his humanoid form to take in the scene- he'd wanted Quark to see him in the shape he knew him best in; Odo thought it might be comforting for the Ferengi bartender.

Just as Rom had said, a group of men were crowded around something or someone who they were all kicking and laughing at- presumably Quark. Odo couldn't see him, as the men all had their backs to him. _Perfect_ , he thought. _This way they won't see me coming._

Odo took out the men in a matter of seconds. Their yells of shock were quickly cut off by a barrage of tentacle whips. They toppled to the floor and formed a ring around Quark, who was lying on his back with his limbs splayed out like a murder victim. Odo crouched beside him, cradling his head and coming away with blood on his fingers.

"Quark?" Odo whispered. He didn't know why it came out so quiet. Quark didn't respond, so Odo tried again, louder this time. "Quark! Wake up, Quark!"

It was like that time on the mountain all over again. Odo had been so terrified then, although he never could have admitted it. Quark had woken up then when Odo had started hitting him. Maybe he should hit him now. But he'd already been beaten up by those thugs, and he looked so delicate and small- like he would break if Odo dropped him. Or worse yet, like he already had been broken.

Quark's clothes were torn, and blood-soaked in places. His mouth was half-open, and Odo could see that a couple of his teeth were chipped. His face was dotted with scrapes and bruises, with his right eye swollen shut. His other eye was almost fully closed, with just a sliver of glazed-over blue iris visible.

Still cradling his head with one arm, Odo wrapped his other arm around Quark's back and lifted him off the ground. He could feel the blood on him. Quark's arms and legs dangled down limply, with his feet dragging on the ground as Odo gently lifted him.

"It's okay, Quark," Odo told him firmly, lightly squeezing the back of his head. "I'm here now. I saved you."

There was still no response.

"I saved you!" Odo repeated. He gave Quark a little shake, and realized he was shaking a little himself. His body quivered, threatening to revert to its natural state- Odo had been about to regenerate when Quark's peril had come to his attention, after all. Combined with the wave of unbearable emotions that washed over him as he held Quark's motionless body, it has a challenge to hold his form.

As hard as Odo tried to maintain his humanoid form, his body started to liquefy. His legs melted together, and his face began to disappear. "Quark," he said one final time while he could still form a mouth, one last desperate attempt to awaken the Ferengi. As he spoke, the bottom of the face he had formed dripped down and melded with his torso, hitting Quark's face as it did.

Just as Odo was about to give up, stop resisting, and let himself fully melt into his natural state, something happened. Quark's eyes fluttered open, just for a second, as the droplets of Odo's rapidly melting face landed on him. He let out a faint moan, and the hand that had been dangling limply by Odo's side moved, fingers grabbing for something to hold. Suddenly hopeful, Odo formed a hand to the best of his ability, and Quark's mouth stretched into a barely visible smile when he grabbed it.

"O…do…?" Quark groaned.

"I'm here, Quark."

Quark leaned back into Odo's arms, closing his good eye and moving his mouth in a silent laugh. "You look terrible," he wheezed, poking at Odo's half-melted body. "You should be ashamed to go around looking like that."

Suddenly feeling awkward, Odo did his best to reform his humanoid figure as best as possible. He still needed to regenerate as soon as possible, but he found that he could hold his form a bit better now that he wasn't so distraught.

"You don't look so good yourself," Odo grumbled fondly, running his hand down Quark's nicked-up face. "I need to get you to medbay right away."

"Wait," Quark blurted. He tried to sit up, but collapsed back down, breaking into a coughing fit. Odo hovered over him, concerned, and propped him up. Quark didn't thank him for it- of course not- but he did squeeze Odo's hand, which was more than enough. "Before you take me to medbay, there's something I want to do."

Odo didn't know what Quark could possibly mean. Fortunately, he didn't have to wonder for long. Quark grabbed his still-wobbly face and pulled it down toward his own, and before Odo could fully process what was happening, he found Quark's lips pressed against his mouth.

It didn't feel as wretched as Odo might have expected. It almost felt kind of… good. Odo kissed Quark back without even realizing he was doing it, breaking away only when Quark let out a tiny hiss of pain and pulled back, wincing.

"I'm sorry," Odo gasped when he saw Quark clutching his swollen eye. "I didn't mean to—"

"I-it's fine, Odo. Honest." Quark gave him a crooked smile, obviously attempting to look cool. He didn't pull it off very well, but Odo didn't care about that in the slightest. He was alive, and that was all that mattered. "That was for saving my life again, by the way," Quark continued. "The kiss, I mean."

"So I'd gathered," Odo muttered stiffly. He crossed his arms over his chest and hoped Quark couldn't tell how flustered he was. "Now, enough of your nonsense, and let's get you looked after."

Quark nodded, smiling before collapsing back into Odo's arms. Odo held him gingerly at first until he realized Quark had passed out, at which point he lifted him tenderly off the ground. A lot of people stopped to gawk at them as Odo carried Quark in his arms to the medbay, and Odo couldn't blame them- together, he and Quark were a lot to take in.


	6. Chapter 6

**…** **And one time Quark wanted the roles to be reversed.**

Quark was in a bad spot. Every time Odo would stroll into the bar to interrogate him, Quark's heart would skip a beat, and not for the reason it had before. He couldn't stop blushing whenever the constable was around, and he avoided making eye contact whenever he could. This was getting out of hand, and it was all Odo's fault for being so stubborn.

If only that blasted Changeling would just confront Quark about the nature of their relationship, everything could be resolved. As it was, the tension that had always hung in the air between them had started to pile up more and more, and now that Quark was finally aware of it, it was almost unbearable. He wanted to know how Odo really felt about him, but it was like Odo just wanted to pretend nothing had ever happened- like nothing had changed between them. Quark wanted something to change between them, but he could never work up the nerve to bring it up.

The kiss had been a mistake. He'd been half-dead and delirious, and under any other circumstances it never would have happened. Even so, he had to know if it had meant anything.

That was why Quark had made an arrangement he wasn't very proud of with a person he was ashamed to have made it with. He'd told himself he'd never associate with Brunt again, but he knew the FCA member could get him what he wanted. Sure, it was for a pretty steep price, but Quark thought it would be worth it just to get the opportunity he needed. Besides, he could always cut his employees' wages if things got too bad for him financially.

Quark made sure to record the date the arrangement had been made for so he wouldn't forget. That day, he closed the bar early, much to Morn's chagrin. Quark pulled the loudly protesting Lurian aside to explain the plan- or at least as much as he felt comfortable telling him. After he'd shooed out everyone from the bar and fetched his disruptor from the back room, all there was left to do was sit back and wait. While he was waiting, tapping his foot and periodically checking the sensor he'd attached to his wrist, he made sure the disruptor was functioning properly. Fortunately, it was working just fine. Quark smiled to himself as he imagined how the scene would play out. It would be just like one of those idiotic Bajoran romance novels Odo loved so much…

Sure enough, at exactly 14:00 hours, the sensor on Quark's wrist started flashing. He jumped up, disruptor in hand, and hid behind the doors of the bar. He hadn't locked them when he'd closed down since he didn't want to lose any time. To make this plan work, everything had to go perfectly.

He saw Odo walking by outside on the promenade, surveying the people milling about. He glanced over at Quark's and frowned quizzically- he'd noticed that the bar was closed earlier than it was supposed to be. Quark hid behind a stool and held his breath as Odo marched over and peered inside. If Odo knew Quark was there, the dramatic effect would be ruined when the time came to jump out and "save" him.

Luckily, Quark didn't need to worry about that, because stage two of the plan was about to start. His wrist-sensor blared, flashing a bright green, and Quark ripped it off so that Odo wouldn't see it flashing from the other side of the doors. It clattered on the ground, still flashing (although the noise had thankfully stopped) and Quark pressed his boot down on it for good measure, satisfied to hear it crunch beneath his foot.

Outside, he could hear commotion- Brunt's Nausicaans had arrived. Ducking out from behind the stool, Quark pressed his ear to the wall to listen for the proper time to intervene.

"What is your business here?" he could hear Odo asking them. When the Nausicaans advanced on him, daggers in hand (Quark couldn't see what was going on outside, but he could hear it, and he knew form the arrangements he'd made with Brunt that that was what was happening), Odo snorted disapprovingly. "I don't know what you hope to accomplish with those weapons," he said. "They won't work on me."

Despite having planned it all out himself, and knowing full well it wouldn't harm the Changeling in the slightest, Quark couldn't help but wince as he heard one of the Nausicaans thrust its dagger into Odo. Phaser fire rang out, and Quark heard the Nausicaan collapse. He frowned. That wasn't quite what was supposed to happen- Quark was supposed to be the one to take them both out. It wouldn't be nearly as dramatic if Quark was merely barging in to finish Odo's job.

Outside, the second Nausicaan charged at Odo with a roar, only to quickly be knocked aside. Quark's spirits dropped lower. It would be so much cooler for him to jump out of the bar firing his disruptor- maybe jumping in front of Odo and telling the constable to stay back. It was the kind of situation that would never arise organically, which was exactly why Quark had set this up. He wanted to be the one to come to the rescue this time. He wanted Odo to fall into his arms and call Quark his hero. And most of all, Quark didn't want Odo to see him as helpless. Maybe if he could just demonstrate that he was capable of a dramatic rescue as well, Odo would stop ignoring Quark, and they'd finally be able to get together.

Something rolled from the second Nausicaan's grip onto the floor- the small explosive device that would require Quark to come to the rescue. As soon as it beeped once, he was on his feet and ready to start phase three of the plan. The door was jammed, so he kicked at it a couple times before it swung open. Odo turned around and gawked at Quark, who took some offense to that. Was it really that unheard of for Quark to be heroic?

Quark lunged for the explosive, which was rolling toward the drop-off to the lower level of the promenade. That wasn't supposed to happen either; the Nausicaan who'd been carrying it was supposed to have rolled it toward Odo- but from far enough away that Quark would be able to jump out and stop it without there ever being any real danger. A lot of things weren't going according to plan, Quark observed with a grimace.

"What do you think you're doing, Quark?!" Odo demanded. He grabbed Quark by the collar as he scrambled toward the rolling bomb and lifted him off the ground. Wonderful. Now instead of being a hero, he was being humiliated. "Why were you at the bar when it was closed- and why exactly was it closed to begin with?"

"No time to explain," Quark cried, yanking himself away from Odo. "Gotta catch that bomb… stop it from blowing up…"

He reached the explosive just as it rolled over the edge and dropped toward the lower level of the promenade. Quark stretched his arm out and almost caught it, but missed by millimetres. The horrifying reality of the situation sunk in as he watched the explosive drop, its beeps getting closer together as it was about to detonate.

He should never have made that foolish plan. Now a bunch of people were going to die because of him. Odo would never forgive him. Or, he realized as Odo ran up to the drop-off, Odo would just come to the rescue yet again. Quark knew that would be a much better alternative, yet somehow he felt as though it would be even worse. No wonder Odo didn't love him.

 _But it doesn't have to be that way,_ Quark thought, a renewed determination pulsing through him. _Not yet. There's still a tiny chance_ …

Clinging onto the floor of the upper level with one hand, Quark swung himself over the edge and studied the drop for a moment before letting go. At the same time, Odo leaped over the railing, a pair of wings sprouting from his back. He flew down, shouting something that Quark couldn't hear over the air roaring in his ears, as the explosive began to glow. "What?!" Quark shouted back, craning his neck to look up at Odo, who shook his head exasperatedly.

The next couple of seconds seemed to take an eternity to transpire. Quark's fingers closed around the explosive just before it could explode, and threw it as hard as he could away from the people. Odo caught Quark, still yelling- scolding him, probably. Quark knew he more than deserved it. The bomb went off, and—

Quark must have blacked out for a minute, because the next thing he knew, he was lying on his side on a cot. At first he thought he was in sickbay, but as soon as his surroundings came a bit more into focus it became evident that he was in the brig. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his temples gingerly. He ached all over, his clothes were in tatters, and he could barely remember the preceding events. There had been a plan, he knew- something he'd arranged with Brunt. A chance to be the heroic one for once in his lifetime…

"Hello, Quark," came a gravelly voice from outside the holding cell. Quark tensed as soon as he heard it. "So, how do you feel about the way your little plan went?"

Quark could hardly stand to look up at Odo, who was standing just outside Quark's holding cell with his arms crossed. The look of condemning disapproval on the constable's face was enough to make Quark's heart shatter into pieces. He'd earned that shame. It was his fault. He'd almost gotten a large number of innocent people killed, just because of a scheme to get Odo to notice him!

As if Odo could tell what Quark was thinking, he barked out a cold, humourless laugh. "I must say, Quark, I didn't think you had it in you," he grumbled. "Sure, you were bad, but endangering the lives of civilians for the sole purpose of tricking me into thinking you were saving my life, when in reality _you were the one who put me in danger to begin with?!_ " Odo's voice grew increasingly louder and angrier as he spoke, and Quark shrunk back, pressing his wrists together and lowering his head.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, hot tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "It wasn't supposed to happen the way it did! Nobody was ever supposed to be in real danger!"

"Oh, believe me, I know the way it was supposed to happen," Odo snapped, slamming his fist against the wall of the brig. "You were supposed to come to my rescue, repaying the favour I've done for you so many times. Isn't that right, Quark?"

Quark already felt awful about what he'd done. Having Odo remind him of it only made him feel worse- which was probably the point. "It's not fair, Odo," he whined. "I'm always the one who gets in danger, and you're always the one who comes and saves me! Even when you are in trouble, it's always when you're on an away mission or something, and I'm not there! I just wanted…"

He trailed off, furiously running away his tears. It didn't do any good; they just kept rolling down his face. He looked like a fool, blubbering in front of Odo like this. It was the opposite of what his plan had been intended to accomplish. Why couldn't things ever go his way, just once?

To his surprise, Odo's from softened- although only by a tiny bit. "Computer, drop the force field," he commanded. Sniffling, Quark looked up in surprise as Odo stepped into the holding cell and crouched down next to him. "What you did was wrong, Quark," Odo said sternly. "I cannot forgive you for endangering the lives of civilians. However…"

"…However?" Quark echoed, suddenly hopeful. Maybe his plan hadn't been a total waste after all.

"…However, there is one thing I am curious about," Odo admitted. "Quark, when I looked over your communications with Brunt, I noticed you talked about wanting to 'woo' me. What was that about?"

Quark blushed. Had he really said that?! He tried to think back to everything he'd told Brunt. Then he realized what Odo had asked. "What was it _about_?! Odo, isn't it obvious?" Quark blurted, grabbing Odo's shoulders. "How have you not noticed that I'm in love with you?!"

Odo slipped out of Quark's hands and backed away, stunned. "Y-you're… in love…?" Quark bit his tongue. Why had he said that out loud?!

"Forget it. It's nothing. Nevermind," he said quickly, turning around to hide his face, which was burning bright red.

Odo wasn't buying it. "How long have you felt that way, Quark?" he asked. The tone in his voice was hard to pin down, and it frustrated Quark to know end. Even now, it was impossible to tell exactly what that Changeling thought about him.

"I've felt that way since I kissed you. Maybe even before that," Quark mumbled. As long as he was in this mortifying situation, he might as well just come clean. "…Maybe for as long as I've known you. Idiot," he added.

"Well, if you must know—" Odo began, before quickly cutting himself off. He raised his hand to Quark's face before continuing, "The feeling is mutual."

Quark's world seemed to freeze in place. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but stare into Odo's eyes. How could he just come right out and say something like that? Sure, it was exactly what Quark had been hoping for him to say, but to know it was true was too much to take in- it was beyond incomprehensible. He didn't know what to say.

As it turned out, he didn't have to think of anything to say. Odo kissed him before he had the chance to open his mouth. Quark kept his eyes open wide as Odo moved his mouth against his own, only closing them once the shock had sufficiently worn off.

Then, just as suddenly as he'd come in, Odo pulled away. Quark tumbled to the floor; pain shot through him as his chin connected with the floor of the holding cell. Odo chuckled dryly. Quark didn't find it very funny, but he supposed he deserved to be laughed at after what he'd done.

"So, uh… what now?" Quark muttered, still sitting dumbfounded on the floor, once Odo had left the holding cell and put the force field back up. "Are we still enemies?"

Odo gave him a sarcastic smile that had a genuine warmth to it. "For life," he replied.

With nothing more to say, he turned and left the brig, leaving Quark to stare as he walked out.

END.


End file.
